Known robotic apparatuses having attached end-of-arm tools are used to manipulate workpieces. Known end-of-arm tools can be maneuvered to engage a workpiece at a known location, act on the workpiece, transport the workpiece to a new location, and orient and engage the workpiece with other pieces and then release the workpiece. Applications of robotic apparatuses with end-of-arm devices include, e.g., material handling, manufacturing, packaging, and testing. Known robotic apparatuses have reference coordinate frames, e.g., a spatial three-dimensional coordinate system, and can be controlled to place the end-of-arm tool at a fixed position in the reference coordinate frame. Known robotic apparatuses use a vision sensor and a vision statement inserted in a computer program to command the robotic apparatus to move to a predetermined position in the reference coordinate frame, including applying a visual offset from the vision sensor in a static manner to command and correct maneuvering of the robotic apparatus. In such systems there is an initial or start position of the end-of-arm tool, and a nominal goal position of the end-of-arm tool. Signal input from the vision sensor is used to locate the workpiece and define a vision-based offset to the nominal goal position of the end-of-arm tool. The robotic apparatus is commanded to move the end-of-arm tool to a fixed position defined by the nominal goal position corrected with the vision-based offset.
Known workpieces can be pliable or malleable, and dynamically moveable, resulting in changes in location of elements of the workpiece during the period of time when the robotic apparatus moves the end-of-arm tool. A change in location of an element of the workpiece can cause a mismatch between a final position of the end-of-arm tool and the nominal goal position of the workpiece.